MOSCOW – In a major diplomatic shift, Russia has officially recognized the Taliban’s government in Afghanistan, becoming the first nation to do so since the Taliban came to power in August 2021. This comes after the delisting of the Taliban as an outlawed organization from Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry made an official statement that it had received the credentials of newly appointed Afghan Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. The ministry declared that this formal recognition would develop “productive bilateral cooperation” between the two countries.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the move as historic, with Foreign Minister of the Taliban Amir Khan Muttaqi embracing it as “a good example for other countries.” The Taliban has, since it came to power, tried to gain international legitimacy while imposing its severe interpretation of Islamic law.
Even though it has had high-level dialogues with several countries, the Taliban administration has not been able to escape isolation because of its limitation on women and girls. Women are excluded from most occupations and public places, while girls are not allowed to receive education higher than the sixth grade.
Recently, Russian authorities have highlighted the need to deal with the Taliban in order to stabilize Afghanistan. Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov explained that President Vladimir Putin made the move to recognize the Taliban regime on the recommendation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, citing Russia’s efforts to establish full-fledged relations with Afghanistan.
